Rangers Star Emmanuel Fernandez Could Command £40m Transfer Fee, Says Director of Football

Peterborough United’s Director of Football, Barry Fry, believes Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez could eventually generate a huge transfer fee for the Ibrox club.

Fry has expressed confidence that Fernandez’s value will continue to rise significantly following his impressive development since moving to Scotland. The English centre-back joined Rangers during the summer transfer window in a deal worth around £3 million from Peterborough United.

At the time of the transfer, Fernandez arrived at Ibrox without much recognition among the Rangers support. Many fans were unfamiliar with the defender and questioned whether he would be able to make an impact at the club.

However, since settling into life in Glasgow, Fernandez has quickly established himself as a key member of the Rangers squad. The 24-year-old has become one of the first names selected in the starting lineup, demonstrating his importance to the team.

Barry Fry Predicts Huge Increase in Fernandez’s Value

Fry has admitted that his role in negotiating Fernandez’s transfer to Rangers initially made him unpopular with a portion of the club’s supporters.

Some fans believed Peterborough had secured a particularly favourable deal by receiving £3 million for the defender. Despite that criticism, Fry always remained confident that Fernandez would prove his worth once given the opportunity to show his abilities.

Now that more than half the season has passed, Fry says he has been impressed by the defender’s development at Rangers.

The Peterborough chief believes Fernandez could eventually be sold for a fee between £30 million and £40 million if Rangers decide to move him on in the future.

According to Fry, he told Rangers at the time of the transfer that the defender would not only strengthen their back line but also contribute goals from defensive positions.

Those claims appear to be proving accurate as the season progresses.

Fernandez Making an Impact at Both Ends of the Pitch

Fernandez has already demonstrated his ability to contribute offensively as well as defensively. The centre-back has scored five goals in 19 league appearances for Rangers so far this season.

For a player operating in central defence, that level of goal contribution is particularly notable.

In addition to his league performances, Fernandez also managed to score in his only appearance in the Scottish League Cup this season.

These attacking contributions have helped strengthen Fry’s belief that the defender has the potential to command a substantial transfer fee in the future.

Speaking about Fernandez in an interview with The Scottish Sun, Fry explained that he always believed the player simply needed time and opportunity to demonstrate his quality.

“When we sold Manny to Rangers, the fans up there had a right go at me,” Fry said. “They were saying he was the worst player they had ever signed.”

Despite that reaction, Fry insisted he was confident that Fernandez would eventually win over the Rangers supporters.

“I just knew Fernandez had to be given a chance,” he continued.

Fry revealed that he had predicted from the beginning that Rangers could eventually sell the defender for a fee between £30 million and £40 million.

“I made it clear Rangers would eventually sell him for £30m or even £40m,” he said. “I said he’d score goals as well and just come through strong for them.”

According to Fry, the defender simply needed consistent playing time to show what he was capable of.

“Honestly, he just had to be given an opportunity,” he added. “Early on they didn’t really give him one. He only had one or two games and I wasn’t very popular with Rangers fans because of that.”

Now that Fernandez has established himself in the team, Fry believes the defender has demonstrated exactly what he expected from him.

“Just look at Manny now,” he said. “He’s shown the Rangers fans that he can defend and he can score goals.”

Fry concluded by emphasising his belief in Fernandez’s overall ability.

“He’s a good player, it’s as simple as that,” he explained. “But I definitely don’t want to be saying ‘I told you so’ to the supporters.”

Michael Stewart Admits He Was Too Quick to Judge Fernandez

Pundit Michael Stewart is known for offering strong opinions about Rangers players, and Fernandez was no exception when he first arrived at the club.

Early in the defender’s Rangers career, Stewart criticised him heavily following a mistake, even describing him as a “bombscare.”

However, Stewart has since acknowledged that he may have judged the player too harshly in those early weeks.

The pundit now admits that Fernandez has shown clear improvement since his arrival at Ibrox, even though he still believes the defender can occasionally be prone to mistakes.

Fernandez recently came close to scoring in a match against Celtic as well, although the goal was eventually ruled out after the ball was judged to have touched his hand.

Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club, Stewart admitted that Fernandez is one player he was too quick to criticise.

“Do you know a Rangers player that I’ll hold my hands up and say I was too quick to call?” Stewart said.

“And it’s not Youssef Chermiti… it’s Fernandez.”

The pundit went on to acknowledge the defender’s strong performance in a recent match.

“By the way, he was good yesterday,” Stewart admitted.

Reflecting on his earlier comments, Stewart explained that his first impression of the player had been far less positive.

“I thought he was an absolute bombscare when he first came,” he said.

Despite that earlier criticism, Stewart now recognises that Fernandez has made significant progress during his time at Rangers.

“And he still looks like he’s got a mistake in him,” Stewart added. “But I’ll tell you what, he’s improving.”